Light emitting diode (LED) based lighting systems may offer several energy and reliability advantages over other types of lighting systems such as, for example, incandescent or fluorescent lighting. Thus, LED based lighting systems may be an attractive candidate to replace other existing lighting technologies.
Historically, incandescent light bulbs have had a nearly perfect power factor (PF). In other words, incandescent bulbs typically have a PF of about 1. Those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that electrical devices having a relatively low PF require additional power from the utility, which is also referred to as grid power. Accordingly, high power factor solutions are desirable for LED based lighting system. In particular, it may be especially desirable for an LED based lighting fixture to have a PF of at least 0.7 in order to obtain specific types of energy certifications promulgated by the United States government (e.g., the ENERGY STAR® certification). This is because some potential consumers of lighting products may make purchasing decisions based on whether or not an LED lighting fixture has obtained one or more specific types of energy certifications. Moreover, those skilled in the art will also appreciate there is also a continuing need in the art for a relatively low-cost, reliable driver for an LED lighting fixture as well.